Apologies for the delay posting this, I have been busy. Kev
I wasn’t originally going to go to this game being midweek and with work commitments it was going to be virtually impossible. Will called up and said he was going to drive up and could I join him. As fate would have it there was a cancellation in my schedule and time suddenly freed up and though tight we got away from Guildford around 15.45 and just missed the worst of the M25 build up prior to getting on the M40 and away free. We made good time and met up with Chris and Little Jack for a curry in Balsall Heath. There was time for a pint just before the game and into our seats for kick off.
The old cliche of a game of two halves came to the fore for this one. Blues played some decent stuff in the first half and should have been ahead. We missed a number of chances and our strikers particularly Wes Thomas was at fault for not putting us at least two goals to the good. I thought the build-up play was crisp with a decent tempo and Cotterill and Shea were delivering reasonable service into the box.
Neither Donaldson nor Thomas had their heading radar tuned last night; the shooting from everybody that attempted one was wayward and a number of decent chances went begging thus the score remained 0-0. Blues were unlucky when a speculative shot from Paul Caddis just after the half hour crashed off the post with the Owlís keeper beaten all ends up. The Owls for their part were largely second best in the first period but did have their moments and very early on should have gone one up with a side-footed volley by Atdhe Nuhiu from a neat chip into the box. The strike flashed across Randolph rooted to the spot only to clear the far post by a couple of inches. Blues were very lucky with that, but overall in the first half at least, they were the better side.
Chris commented that we were likely to rue all the missed opportunities and just like on Saturday, Blues ran out of steam in the second half as Sheffield Wednesday, a far cry from the shambolic outfit that visited St Andrews a year ago, gained confidence, upped their tempo and started to take control until we inevitably conceded because we failed to track runners as legs tired.
Everything that Blues produced in the first half evaporated as Wednesday showed intent with rapid attempts in the first five minutes of the second period with Chris Maguire shooting just wide and Jacques Maghoma striking the outside from of the post after Darren Randolph meekly parried a shot by Liam Palmer into his path; very lucky to escape again. Sheffield were all over us and Blues could not get any modicum of control and coughed up the ball cheaply when they did get it.
The inevitable finally happened mid-way through the half when Stevie May, the pick of the Sheffield midfield drove into our half played a simple one-two with Atdhe Nuhiu, who laid it back to him wide on the left. Instead of containing the danger Blues defenders backed off and allowed the winger to keep coming which he duly did. May dribbled across to get the ball onto his right foot in the area and drove a low shot past Randolph at the near post; a well taken goal but allowed far too easily. The writing was on the wall at this point as I couldn’t see Birmingham City scoring if they were still playing now.
I’m afraid it looked far more likely that Sheffield were going to add to their tally and sure enough it proved to be the case late on. Blues did have a fleeting chance to equalise from a free-kick from the left on 80minutes. The ball dropped down in the middle of the box to Paul Robinson who fiercely struck the chance goalwards from around the penalty spot only to be thwarted by a goal saving block from Semedo and that as the song goes was all she wrote as far as the disappointed home supporters were concerned. Blues finally succumbed to the sucker punch in the 89th minute. Caught on the break, the ball found its way out to the right to Chris Maguire who pulled it back to Jeremy Helan in splendid isolation 12 yards out. He gleefully drilled the ball into the bottom corner to spark ecstatic celebrations from the Wednesday fans.
In the end Blues were beaten comfortably by an improved but still pretty average and functional Sheffield Wednesday side. Over the whole game the teams were well matched but Wednesday took their chances when they were on top and we didnít and that was the difference.
I am running out of ways of saying that we are not good enough. The players cannot help the fact that they are of limited ability at this level but Lee Clark has to figure out a way to keep clean sheets even if it means ugly stuff and 0-0 score lines. Even poor quality players can be organised and drilled to prevent the type of goals that we conceded last night. Tracking runners is basic and the least expected of professionals. Whilst we are creating chances we are not taking them and with our defensive frailties more results like this will occur. I’m still undecided whether to go to Norwich on Saturday; I fear we are going to get thumped like we did at Wigan and I’m not sure I can bear to watch my team get humiliated.
The Good: The curry before the game; excellent, paying for it this morning though! (Too much detail Baz! Kev)
The Bad: Our finishing in the first half and the defending for the goals in the second.
The Ugly: The flat slaphead at the front of the away stand with his top off making rude gestures to the home support to his right; what a fine figure of a man with a face that only a mother could love!
Birmingham City (4-4-2) Darren Randolph 6, Neal Eardley 6 (Jonathan Spector 16, 6), Jonathan Grounds 6, Paul Robinson 6, David Edgar 7, David Cotterill 6, David Davis 6 (Stephen Gleeson 79, 5) Paul Caddis 7, Wesley Thomas 6, Clayton Donaldson 6, Brek Shea 6 (Demarai Gray 54, 6).
Subs not used: Colin Doyle, Callum Reilly, Mark Duffy, Andy Shinnie.
Sheffield Wednesday (4-4-2): Keiren Westwood 6, Liam Palmer 6, Joe Mattock 6, Glenn Loovens 6, Tom Lees 6, Chris Maguire 7, Jose Semedo 6, Giles Coke 6 (Drenthe 63, 6) Stevie May 8 (Jeremy Helan 81, N/A), Atdhe Nuhiu 6 (Gary Madine 73, 6), Jacques Maghoma.
Subs not used: Chris Kirkland, Lewis Buxton, Kamil Zayatte, Claude Dielna.
Referee: James Adcock 7; I thought the referee had a decent game; hardly noticed him which tends to be a sign that the officials have done OK.
Attendance: 14,085 (1,589 away fans)
Great report, keep ’em coming.
that bloke you were on about what a mess should have been thrown out. back to the match midfield to weak davis was o/k for me caddis is not a midfielder what has happened to Duffy the american is
to slow. i fear for us on Saturday and the week after you can bet fulham will get there first win depressed blues fan
I share the same sentiments Nicko. I really fear for us on Saturday and as I say in my report I’m not sure I want to go and witness us get spanked. It’s a three and a half hour journey by train from where I am which is a long way back on a Saurday night if your team has had a right royal pasting. As you say Fulham won’t stay rubbish forever; they gave Forest a right scare last night.
Fingles, thank you for your kind comment.
Bazza
Fulham have just sacked Felix Magath so will have the new manager bounce when we play them.
Decent report. But please don’t refer to us as “Sheffield”. It looks amateurish and makes you want to stop reading. Do you refer to Man United as Manchester?
If they were the only Manchester club being referred to and the name was in context to the written piece; yes frankly. I know that fans of Newcastle United and Leeds United and I suspect Sheffield United get irritated by the media use of the term’United’ as referring solely to the club from Manchester so those fans at least might actually prefer it. No offence was meant to your famous and proud club by the use of the term Sheffield alone but as your full title is in the article heading there is no doubt as to whom I’m referring to I would contend. Whilst I accept your point I do not feel that referring to your team in this instance as Sheffield without its suffix is invalid nor do I accept that it is amateurish. Whether you stop reading is up to you but you clearly didn’t. Thank you for taking the time, congratulations on your victory and good luck for the rest of the season.